Family Before Everything
by kaitou-pandora
Summary: The landing of an alien ship heralds a thorough examination of things which were best left hidden. Second in the Crystal'verse.


Title: Family Before Everything

Fandom: Car Robots/Robots in Disguise, crossover with G1

'Verse: Crystal'verse

Characters: Prowl, Side Burn, X-Brawn

Rating: G, but will likely go up for violence and implications of torture in future chapters

Warnings: References things from the second half of the series. Weirdness for the G1 influence.

Summary: The landing of an alien ship heralds a thorough examination of things which were best left hidden. Second in the Crystal'verse.

Notes: Set in an AU Car Robots/Robots in Disguise, mainly the second half. Also see above warnings.

* * *

They kept the crystals in the subspace pocket closest to their lesser-used hand due to vorns of training, and the knowledge that even the relatively incompetent Predacons could and would notice which hand they used more in battle and try to neutralize that hand. In the meantime, they progressed as they had previously. Patrols were continued, arguments started and broken off and resolved, friendly sparring continued (though distinctly more viciously when they were the only ones present and sparring took place against each other).

The days passed into weeks, weeks into months, and with no new signs of the Predacon/Decepticon faction surfacing, the Autobot soldiers quickly tired and grew bored. They each had their own duties to attend to, of course – hauling passengers for Team Bullet Train, putting out fires for Optimus, finishing and maintaining the Space Bridge Network for the Build Team, tracking possible Decepticon signals, and for all of them patrol and occasionally thwarting any attacks regardless of the origin if they were close enough. But even duty did little to help when they were on break, and as a result T-AI was driven to distraction sooner than usual by Side Burn's antics. In the aftermath of one such event, T-AI ended up screaming at Optimus for close to half an hour.

The firemen who had been in the process of cleaning ash off of Optimus's alternate mode were understandably startled.

To say that Optimus was rather upset would be a massive understatement. In a fit of uncharacteristic frustration he ordered T-AI to organize a battle tournament in hopes of burning off the nervous energy of his soldiers. As Prowl and X-Brawn had also managed to annoy T-AI in the intervening time period, the Autobot Brothers found themselves pitched against Team Bullet Train, the Spychangers, and the Build Team.

At the same time.

(T-AI rather wanted to match the brothers against all the other Autobots, but Optimus had declined to participate, and his brother Ultra Magnus had also upon discovering that he would not have an opportunity to land a few blows on Optimus. Forgiven though the Prime was, old wounds still lingered, and Magnus was still somewhat upset.)

"Best course of action?" X-Brawn asked, staring up at the screen displaying the traitorous data.

"Try not to die." Side Burn's words were edged with what anyone else would have mistaken for faint hysteria. "Come on. It's the three of us against fifteen of them. One-to-five odds are not fun, especially since we're – T-AI, can't you redraw this? I – we're going to be fighting _two combiner teams!_ That's not fair!"

Over the shared sibling link, Side Burn's words were distinctly more composed. /Okay, guys. How are we going to get out of this with the least amount of our afts being kicked and them defeated with not-out-of-place tactics?\

"You have the upgrades that Ultra Magnus gave you," T-AI stated matter-of-factly.

/That's right\ X-Brawn exclaimed. /Optimus never told T-AI about the crystals, did he?\

/It wouldn't surprise me if he hadn't\ Prowl answered before lifting his head and speaking in a low murmur. "Turn them against each other, then finish off whoever's left, and contribute to the chaos in the meantime." However, Prowl broadcast over the link /Give me some time to formulate a better strategy.\

". . . And how well do you expect that to work?" X-Brawn drawled. The way he motioned his hand indicated that it was an answer to both Prowl's audible and Spark-to-Spark suggestions.

Prowl just shrugged. "It's an option."

"Got any better options, then?"

Prowl turned and took several steps toward the exit to the base before transforming, flashing the lights on the roof of his vehicle mode at his brothers. "Brush up on technique and timing. You coming?"

Side Burn and X-Brawn looked at the main console (T-AI hadn't activated her holographic form to save energy), where T-AI's voice cackled out of the speakers. A slightly louder hum than usual indicated that she was using more of the computer's capabilities than she typically did. The two untransformed Autobot Brothers turned to look at the police car sitting on the floor, which now flashed its brake lights at them.

"You two coming or not? I think I'm growing rusty just waiting for you right now," Prowl snapped, clearly annoyed.

The two transformed and accelerated after their brother.

Once they were on the road, they opened the sibling link more to allow for ease of access, setting subroutines to steer them in the right direction.

/Where?\

/Just follow my signature\

/On it\

/What's really the plan?\

/Formulating right now. In the meantime we're practicing non-standard strategies\

/Non-standard meaning?\

Laughter and warmth flooded the link. /Letting loose, of course. Regardless of the origin, it's still good to keep in shape, isn't it?\

Anticipation replaced the warmth, accompanied by the rising pulse of what the humans called an adrenaline rush. /Always is.\

/Yes! I can explode things properly now!\

/Calm yourself\ Prowl's voice said sternly – X-Brawn had swerved abruptly. /No casualties. We're going to an uninhabited part of the world, where nobody will find us. Brothers, you still have the holoform-projectors?\

/Of course\

/We're using them\

/. . . Whoever says you have no sense of humor has no clue who you are, brother, personas excluded\

/I fail to see how that statement is related, but thank you anyway\

/What 'Breaker's trying to say is that we're glad that you're related to us and wouldn't exchange you for anything in the 'verse\

/Not even for a red sports car?\

/Nonsense, 'Lert! You're worth at least two\

/I'm flattered that you think so highly of me\

/And what about me?\

/What, you? 'Lert's got one of the most expensive alt-modes on the planet, and he's going for only two. You'd be . . . Maybe half\

/Half?\

/And that's a very big maybe\

/But - I - why?\

/Well, your alt-mode, though expensive, doesn't have a very high resale value\

/You-\

It was difficult to tell who started laughing first. The amusement carried them through the twelve-minute trip through the Space Bridge.

"So. Training?"

"Training."

"A week's nowhere enough time to get back into shape," X-Brawn murmured over the communication line they shared.

"It's good enough for our purposes," Prowl answered, adding /But we'll still need to start practicing again. We're nowhere near where we were before, and . . . It's always good to stay in shape, you know. Just in case\

"Just think," Side Burn exclaimed, manic glee sliding into his voice with alarming ease, "when we hand them their arts on an electrum-coated cybertronium plate, and they find out that - it was all because of Prowler's planning."

The truth slipped down the shared sibling bond, a secret reserved only for themselves - that even severely out-of-practice former 'Con experiment-slaves could defeat the whole of the Earth-based Autobot army.

/The threat to Earth's just about gone, now\ X-Brawn pointed out. /Shouldn't we consider moving on soon?\

The pause before Prowl's /Maybe\ was answer enough.

/Too long already?\ Speedbreaker exclaimed. /But - the standard used to be a quarter- Just over 20 human years! What's different now?\

/We're getting too attached\

It was a good thing that Mach Alert had used the sibling bond, Wildrider reflected, because the associated feelings of regret/longing/bitterness came through without the impersonal nature the communication line imposed and therefore prevented Speedbreaker from attempting to kill Mach Alert on the spot.

"He's right, 'Breaker, and you know it. Yes, it's the Prime's unit, we'd be fragging glitched to not be even pretend to be partially attached by now, but-"

"You're giving too much away, 'Rider." Regret showed in every bit of their oldest brother's voice. "That holo-platform you made for T-AI – she'll trace the energy signature of its maker soon enough, and then what? How do we explain a previously hidden penchant for inventing?" Mach Alert turned to Speedbreaker. "Your pranks, 'Breaker, can't and won't stay hidden for long, and once they're discovered it's only a matter of time before you're traced as the prankster. And . . ." He hesitated. "If everything goes well today, well . . . all it'll take is a quick search of T-AI's databanks to find that I have more in common with-" /my creator\ "-my namesake than an alternate mode and a passion for rules and logic."

"So in short, if we don't move we're going to be slagged beyond belief 'cause we helped to build our own acid pits," Speedbreaker said flatly. "Meaning – why the frag are we not gone already?"

"That's another thing," Mach Alert said reluctantly. "The language we use – nobody uses the language of the Great War veterans anymore. Breem, frag, glitched . . . after the whole thing with the Unmaker, Cybertronian adopted more human sayings. We're lucky that everyone thinks that it's just a thing between us and not something else."

"To answer your question, 'Breaker, suspicion when we leave will only lead to more destruction." Though recited in answer to a long-asked question, the words carried the passion Wildrider typically reserved for his climbing.

"So when do we leave?"

"We wait a month, maybe two, and if nothing suspicious happens then we resign. Claim that we feel there's no need for our further services to the army, promise to maintain contact, and then promptly go to a hard-to-reach area, like, say . . . some star system with radiation generating massive radio interference."

"Block all but the emergency channels."

"And fall into a routine which is more likely to get us killed?" Speedbreaker cycled his vents sharply to express frustration, a mannerism he shared with the two Great War mechs whose memory cores he carried. "'Lert, if you're going to get us all sent to the Matrix, at least do it with style. Otherwise I'd prefer that you don't do it at all."

Mach Alert stiffened abruptly, optics flaring red in a sign of him accessing a part of his databanks. Then cabling slackened as tension lessened, and he laughed quietly. "I'd forgotten that. Sideswipe and Jazz were close, and I . . . Prowl reacted unexpectedly."

A moment of silence lingered as the three looked at each other, the same question present in three sets of optics. Brief impressions flickered across the sibling bond. After a few moments of silent communication the brothers exchanged nods.

"Ten breems?"

"I'll let Prowl know."

It was truly an unparalled experience, giving up control of your own body.

Mach Alert shut down his sensors systematically, starting with the most sensitive high-powered wide-area scans and working down to the nanosensors located in the plating of his armor. He then moved on to the sensors in his mouth, seared the memory of his two unpowered brothers into the portion of their body's memory banks reserved for Mach Alert alone, and proceeded to off-lining his optics, shutting down his audio receptors, and stood motionless. The sensation of being completely cut off from the rest of the world beyond his own knowledge of the planet he was standing on was reassuring and intimidating at once.

(372 times going through the process and he didn't think he'd ever be used to it.)

Mach Alert sent a mental pulse out, into the brilliant blue-black-white-red dark-light that characterized the master Autobot tactician, and waited.

As always, a reply came back within astroseconds. _query/curiosity/wariness?_

_Ten breems with your comrades, no strings attached._

_Earth's been good for you._

_Has it?_

_Yes. You're less tense now._

_. . . I'm scared that we're getting too attached._

_Oh?_

_The unit my brothers and I enlisted in . . . Optimus Prime leads it._

Silence.

_We fight a mech named Megatron, as leader of the Predacons and the Decepticons – pleasedon'trunawayonme –_

A quiet laugh. _I wouldn't dream of it, even if I physically could._

Mach Alert sent a flinch, alarmed. _Apologies. I hadn't considered-_

_No worries, young one. Anyway, who said that being too attached was a bad thing? It can motivate you to know and be absolutely certain that you're the best that you can under the circumstances before implementing any sort of action plan._

_But-_

_Your most important maxim is "family before everything", is it not? That implies a great deal of attachment being required for success._

_Yes, but-_

_And would you not argue that your relationship with your brothers has gone a long way towards shaping you as you are today? For the better?_

_I understand that-_

_For example, take Seekers and Seeker-kin of old. The bonds and requisites of the trine bond three Sparks closer than all but the Spark-bonded, often between complete strangers. And the Code of the Winged states that regardless of faction affiliation, of all Outsider considerations and personal feelings, that loyalty to family is required above all else. Trines are considered to be family, naturally, given the nature of the link._

_. . . Point taken. Now go enjoy your time; we've taken too long already._

_By whose standards?_

_Cybertronian, we have. Human, not at all, for three seconds. Alien . . . depends on species._

Prowl's laughter chased Mach Alert into the warm dark-light.


End file.
